Qawwali maestro Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan remembered on birth anniversary

KARACHI: Legendary Shahenshah-e-Qawwali, Sufi and music legend, Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was remembered on his 71st birth anniversary on Sunday (today).

He is popularly regarded as “Shahenshah-e-Qawwali”, meaning “The King of Qawwali”.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was born in Faisalabad on 13th October, 1948, and is considered one of the trend-setters and pioneers of fusion music in Pakistan.

He was trained by his father Ustad Fateh Ali Khan and he used to perform with his father in different programs.

Hailing from a Patiala gharana, Khan carried forward his family’s 600-year-old Qawwali tradition and introduced it to international audiences.

At the age of 16, the Pakistani maestro first performed publicly and now holds the Guinness Book of World Record for the largest recorded output by a Qawwali artist—a total of 125 albums as of 2001.

Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali was the first musician to blend eastern and western musical styles together.

He received recognition for his exceptional work as well in the form of accolades. Apart from being a Grammy nominee, he received UNESCO Music Prize and the ‘Legends’ award at the UK Asian Music Awards in 2005.

His Hamd “Wohi Khuda Hai” and national song “Mera Paigham Pakistan” are still popular among the music lovers.

Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was awarded the prestigious Pride of Performance by the Government of Pakistan in 1987 for his contribution to the promotion of music in the country.

The king of qawwal lost his battle with lung cancer in 1997.